Since Scythe is a 4x game, it comes as no surprise that players would be taking actions to explore the map, claim territories, produce/gather resources, and attack their opponents. To do well in this game, one should focus on earning stars quickly by accomplishing various tasks while attempting to control many territories.
There are seven factions (5 in base game and 2 in the Invaders from Afar expansion) in Scythe, and they all have unique clan and mech abilities. Regardless of which faction you choose, here are some general tips for new players to keep in mind:
Before taking the first action, be sure to check the two Objective cards and choose the one that works best with your clan ability, starting stats (popularity/power/coin/combat card), player order, and what types of resources are near your home base. Figure out what needs to happen in order for you to complete the task and gain stars as well as structure bonus at the same time, then let that shape your strategy.
If you are the first player, your short term goal should be getting to The Factory asap. For everyone else, it is also important to figure out how to quickly expand beyond the rivers and lakes. If you are playing one of the five factions in the base game, this can be done by either deploying the leftmost or second leftmost mech to unlock either riverwalk or clan-specific movement power. Alternately, you can build a mine to access the tunnels. (This does not apply to the Albian and Togawa clans from the expansion since they both have a clear path to The Factory and can get there on foot in 5 turns, though they can still benefit from unlocking those mechs and having a mine in a less significant manner. ) Having control of The Factory allows the player to gain a Factory card - which has a short-cut-like top row action and a bottom-row Move action. The Factory itself counts as 3 territories for end game scoring so it is definitely worth the effort. When choosing Factory cards, choose cards that offer Deploy or Upgrade. This allows players to ignore one resource type while still obtaining a star, via this Factory card short-cut. In later games, anything that provides extra resources should be prioritized because the Produce top-row action would most likely be expensive at this point.
We recommend to always move 2 hexes with your character on the first few turns so that you can draw an Encounter card. If given the chance to to deploy a mech or build a structure by paying popularity or coins, you are already on your way to The Factory. If the Encounter card provides an early opportunity to Upgrade or Enlist, be sure to select the option that corresponds well with your goals. For the first Upgrade, we recommend players to go with move 3 for players early in turn order or bolster 3 for players late in the turn order, then decrease the cost of the corresponding bottom-row action. For the first Enlist, choose the recruit of the bottom-row action you plan to max out/achieve (exception: Crimean - this faction should choose the Enlist action to gain combat cards).
Many objective cards require players to control certain combinations of terrain and spreading out of units. This means more territory control. Moving characters allows players to draw Encounter cards and moving mechs allows players to carry multiple workers around as well as engage in combat. Workers should be placed strategically on hexes where one wishes to build structures, deploy a mech, or produce resources. When a player has the ability to roam the entire map, they should aim to take the top-row Move action every other turn (exception: Rusviet). Depending on the player mat, either Upgrade/Deploy/Build or Enlist could be located below the move action. Since you will be choosing the combination of top and bottom row actions, you should aim to get the star for the bottom row action as well.
When your workers are distributed throughout the map, you gain control of these territories. If your opponents’ character or mechs invade these hexes, your workers will be sent back to the home base and your opponents lose a popularity for each worker they send back (expection: Polania - this faction may unlock the Camaraderie mech power to prevent this). If a particular hex is of great importance to you, placing many workers there may help deter the hostile takeover. Therefore, producing workers is a task that should not be ignored. We recommened picking up all 8 of your workers in a few succeeding turns early on, as this will also earn you a star. If you are playing the Nordic clan, this works even better for you as your workers can swim across rivers. New players may hesitate to do so because this drastically increases future top-row Produce action costs, but this is not really a problem as long as you circumvent it by taking the Trade action from this point on.
The Enlist bottom-row action can be useful in a game with 4 or more factions. As more bottom-row actions will be taken each round, the recruit provides a better return overall in early stages. It is also particularly important to the Crimean player as previously mentioned because they can use a combat card as it were a resource to pay for something once per turn. In other circumstances, enlisting should not be a top pritority unless you desperatly need a combat card.
The Bolster top-row action may be underestimated by players who are not into combat. Compared to the “18 popularity star”, the “16 power star” is much easier to achieve. Having a lot of power will also discourage your opponents from attacking your mechs and characters. We highly recommend going all-in with Bolster for players later in turn order. Once you get to 16 power, head to The Factory to confront its occupier and defeat them in combat. This strategy also pairs well with the Polaniaian and Saxons as these two factions are incentivized to travel and/or combat.
If you are having trouble navigating your first few games of Scythe, the information covered in this article may provide some guidance. If you are ready to level up, we recommend checking out https://thedailyscythe.com/ for more in depth analysis and strategy content.
-Jackie
(About the author - Jacqueline Chao is the executive producer and main content contributor at Show Me How to Win. Follow her board game journey on instagram @boardgamesetc )
Scythe is designed by Jamey Stegmaier and published by Stonemaier Games and our copy was provided by the publisher.
Once upon a time, board gamers would guard their personal boards with care as one absentminded movement could knock every meeple off it place. Along came Scythe… the rest is alternate-1920s history.